A minor is a half year study (30 EC) during your bachelor program. The content of this study can be totally different from your major program. At Leiden University you can attend a minor during the first semester of the third year of the bachelor.
Information about the amount of EC reserved for electives in your program is available at the minor-website of Leiden University (in Dutch).

The minor “Sustainable Development” has an interdisciplinary character and is designed for all degree programmes.

The minor Sustainable Development is designed for 3rd year bachelors students from all degree programmes. Whether you are a language or chemistry student, a social scientist or an archeologist, the minor Sustainable Development is open and of interest to all.

Registration

You can officially register for the minor Sustainable Development via uSis from 1 May - 1 August. Students from TU Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam: Participation in a minor at Leiden University is guaranteed for students from TU Delft and Erasmus Rotterdam. Please note, you can only register for the Minor in May (1-31 May). Look at the minor website of Leiden University for a description of the application process. There are a few simple steps to take and then your enrollment for the Minor is guaranteed.

Sustainable Development is a well-known concept, but what exactly does it mean? Sustainable Development is a form of development that preserves a sound ecological and social basis for society. This requires awareness of problems like climate change, loss of natural habitats, pollution and soil degradation. But Sustainable Development is also a platform for innovative ideas and practices of habitat development, 'cradle-to-cradle' designs for products and cities, corporate social responsibility and globalization and anti-globalization, in the Netherlands, in developing countries and worldwide.

This minor addresses all of these issues from a unique perspective, as it invites you to learn to tackle the problems by first analysing your own views and role regarding the sustainable development issues. You will then be confronted with a wide range of scientific views and solution strategies, which you will be asked to analyse critically. The programme will be taught by CML, but will feature contributions from many others at Leiden University and from society at large.

• It is a specially designed minor with courses that are closely coordinated (not a combination of existing courses)
• You will learn how the world’s major problems can be made manageable
• You will work within both a local and a global context
• The course uses modern teaching methods (debates, seminars, Facebook, e-learning)
• The course combines academic and practical skills
• You will receive extensive feedback from teachers and from your peers

Sustainable Development: Big Issues New Answers 15 EC, period: 5 Sep - 15 Nov 2016
In this course, you will be asked to explore what is meant by sustainability, starting from your own initial views and background. You will be challenged to discuss questions such as: what are the effects of population growth, technology and culture on the environment in which we live? And how can a society work towards greater sustainability? The major current environmental problems, like climate change, food security, loss of biodiversity, waste processing and soil degradation will be addressed, as will methods and technologies to measure and modify the effects of human activities on the environment. The course consists of 4 Modules: Societies & Land Use; Biodiversity; System Earth & Climate Change; and Economy & Technology.

Designing Sustainability Solutions 8 EC, period: 16 Nov - 23 Dec 2016
This course offers you in-depth knowledge of and training in major environmental tools and techniques for developing solutions to sustainability problems. These include systems approach and systems thinking, scenario analyses, restoration methodology, as well as practical skills like English writing, and interview and questionnaire techniques.

Area study Sustainability (you will select one of the following two options):

Area Study Sustainability Netherlands 7 EC, period: 2 Jan - 27 Jan 2016
In this course you will explore an environmental case study. In groups you will analyze the problem, its solutions and the factors that obstruct these solutions. The theme for 2017 is '2030 Sustainable Leiden?' Leiden municipality has set itself several goals and initiatives to be a much more sustainable city in 2030. To achieve the targets, the municipality has launched 24 initiatives and 41 ideas. As a group we will investigate whether the initiatives and ideas are enough to actually achieve the sustainability goals.

Area Study Sustainability Philippines 10 EC, period Jan 2017
A maximum of 5 students will get the opportunity to visit the Philippines for an interdisciplinary ‘winter school’ on issues relating to water use , tropical rain forests, agriculture and ‘indigenous people’ in the north-eastern Luzon area. This winter school offers you a unique experience of being immersed in a different culture, learning to collaborate with your Philippine counterparts and experience first-hand the influence of global environmental problems on the everyday lives of local communities in a developing country. Travel and accommodation costs amount to about 1600 euros.

The minor Sustainable Development offers you the opportunity to familiarise yourself with Industrial Ecology, a discipline that is also offered as a Master’s programme by CML in cooperation with Delft University of Technology. This Master’s programme combines knowledge about the environment, sustainability and social aspects with practical applications in industry and technology. The programme is open to students with a background in natural sciences, social sciences or technology, provided they meet the entrance requirements: see also www.ie.leidendelft.nl. Be aware that the master's programme Industrial Ecology is more technical than the minor Sustainable Development. Therefore students must have sufficient background knowledge of the natural sciences (e.g. natural sciences subjects in high school).

1. How much work does the minor programme involve?
The minor is a full-time programme lasting six months. You must be aware that it is an intensive programme with lectures, tutorial group sessions etc. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (usually from 09.30 – 16.30 h, but this varies with the lecturers and topics; the detailed schedule will be published in mid-August). The Tuesdays and Thursdays are reserved for independent studies, which does not mean that these are days off; you will need them to study the literature, do assignments and prepare presentations. The course level is aimed at third-year Bachelor’s students, and the programme is open to students of all disciplines. Sustainability issues will be approached from various perspectives, involving aspects of both the natural sciences and the humanities. You will be expected to participate actively, assisting your fellow students with the knowledge you can contribute from your own discipline. It is this exchange of knowledge that makes this minor interactive and yields the maximum result, as well as being great fun!

2. I have to do other courses for my Bachelor’s degree. Can I combine these with the minor?
In view of the intensity of the programme we recommend not doing any other coursework during the minor. You should be aware that the minor will keep you busy for five days a week (see the explanation at question 1). You will be collaborating closely with fellow students in the project group component and the area study, and attendance will be compulsory.

3. I have only 15 ECTS available for electives. Can I take only a part of the minor?
Yes, students who do not have the full 30 ECTS available can take the ‘Sustainable Development: Big Issues New Answers’ course as an elective. You will need permission to do so from the exam board for your degree programme. This course will be taught from 5 September to 15 November 2016.